Lubricating device.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1903..

B. F. CAMPBELL & J. BERG.

LUBRIGATING. DEVICE.

APPLICATION rum) 9110.2. 1902.

no MODEL.

iiiiiiiiWlllH UNITED STATES Patented June 9, 1903,

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. CAMPBELL AND JOSEPH BERG, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO JOHN E. OOATES, OF LITTLE ROCK, AR-

KANSAS.

LU BRICATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,813, dated June 9, 1903. Application filed December 2,1902. Serial No. 133,802. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. CAMP- BELL and JOSEPH BERG, residing in Little Rock, county of Pulaski, and State of Ar- 5 kansas, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to lubricating devices, and more particularly to that type of such devices wherein graphite, oil, or other lubricant is fed to the steam chests or cylinders of locomotive or stationary engines by a forced feed, the 0bject of the invention being to provide a simple and effective device of this character which may be operated at desired times to force a desired quantity of lubricant to the parts to be lubricated, all as will hereinafter more fully appear; and the invention consists of the parts and combinations as will be fully described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa sectional view of a cup or reservoir and the device for forcing the lubricant to the parts to be lubricated. Fig. 2 is a section of the feeding-cylinder and connected parts in a plane at right angles to the section of Fig. 1.

said reservoir havinga cap or cover A havof the reservoir, although, as is evident, any

5 other means may be employed for joining the cap or cover and reservoir. Extending centrally through the cap or cover A is the stem a of a telltale A having a float or disk 0 adapted to rest upon the lubricant in the res 4o ervoir, so that by the rise and fall of the telltale the amount of lubricant in the reservoir may be readily known at any time.

Disposed below the reservoir or cup A is the feeding-cylinder, (designated as a Whole by B.) As shown in the present embodiment of our invention, it will be noted that the cylindrical wall I) of the feeding-cylinder is formed integral with or as part of the reservoir or cup A, although, as is evident, this special formation is not necessary, and any other arrangement of these parts may be em- In the drawings, A represents a reservoir or cup for holding a suitable lubricant A,

ployed. The ends of'the feeding-cylinder B are closed by end caps b b, suitably connected to the cylindrical wall, as by screwthreads I) or other means, and extending centrally through the end caps are the openings 1) b connected to the lead-pipes b b, which extend to any suitable source of pressurefluid supply-as, for instance, a compressedair tank or the like. In the case of a locomotive these lead-pipes will preferably extend to the cab and there be controlled as to the supply of air or pressure fluid thereto by the ordinary three-way valve or cock-as, for instance, shown in Patent No. 679,083. Since this valve or cook for controlling the supply of air or pressure fluid to the pipes 11 b in alternation forms no part of my present invention and is well known, it is not further herein described.

Working within the feeding-cylinder B is the chambered piston, free to move lengthwise in said cylinder and formed of heads B B comprising between them the lubricantchamber B It will be evident from the construction thus far described that the piston thus formed may be quickly moved from one to the other end of the cylinder by air or fluid pressure being admitted and exhausted from the opposite 'ends of the cylinder through the lead-pipes b b and that the fluid-chamber B will thus also be shifted to different points in the length of the cylinder.

Centrally of the length of the cylinder B and through the wall thereof is formed an opening 0, communicating with the reservoir or cup A, and when the piston is in the position indicated in Fig. 1 it is evident that the lubricant in the reservoir or cup will under the action of gravity flow through said opening 0 and fill the lubricant-chamber B between the heads B B of the piston.

Formed in the wall of the cylinder B are the ports D D, connected'by a suitable passage D one of said ports being formed near one end of the cylinder and the other near the opposite end thereof. It will be noticed that the heads B B of the piston are of unequal lengths, the length of the head B being substantially equal to the distance be-' tween the contiguous walls of the ports D D, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when the piston is in position shown in saidFig. 2 communication is bad between the right-hand end of the cylinder B and the fluid-chamber B in the piston by means of the ports and passages and for a purpose as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Formed in the cylindrical wall of the cylinder B is an opening E, having branches E E, which are connected with suitable pipes E E which lead directly to the steam-chest of the engine or, if desired, to the cylinder thereof. It will be noted that the opening E in the wall of the cylinder 13 is disposed near one end of the cylinder, while the opening C to the reservoir or cup A is centrally disposed in the length of said cylinder, and while this is the preferred arrangement it is to be understood that the essential feature of the in- Vention in this respect is that the openings C and E shall be disposed in the length of the cylinder so that both shall not be in the same plane transverse of the cylinder.

From the construction thus described it will be apparent that in the normal position of the piston (shown in Fig. 1) the lubricant in the reservoir or cup A will by gravity fall into the lubricant-chamber B between the heads B B of the piston, and since the piston at this time is at the right-hand end of the cylinder the smaller head B thereof closes the opening E, leading to the steamchest or steam-cylinder of the engine, and also closes the port D, while the head B closes the port D. Air or fluid pressure being admitted to the right-hand end of the cylinder through pipe 12 the piston will be moved to the left-hand end of the cylinder B, carrying with it the lubricant contained in the lubricant-chamber B and the heads B B will when the piston is at the left-hand end of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2, uncover the ports D D and the opening E and will close the opening 0 from the reservoir or cup, thus establishing communication between the right-hand end of the cylinder B through the ports D D and passage D fluid-cham her B and opening E to the steam-chest or steamcylinder of the engine, thereby forcing the lubricant contained in the said lubricant-chamber B to the parts to be lubricated, as will be evident. The lubricant havingbeen thus forced by fluid-pressure from the lubricantchamber B into the steam chest or cylinder, pressure is applied through the left-hand pipe I) to the left-hand end of the piston, thereby forcing it to the opposite or right-hand end of the cylinder, such movement of the piston thereby closing the opening E and port D by means of the smaller head B of the piston and also closing port D by the larger head B of the piston and opening communication between the reservoir A and the lubricantchamber B through the opening 0.

It will be noted that the heads of the piston are of unequal size and that they serve not only the purpose of taking the pressure of the fluid from the pipes 11 b to move the piston lengthwise of the cylinder, but also to efiect the opening and closing of the ports and passage-ways, so that lubricant having been admitted to the lubricant-chamber IB pipes E Eileadin g to the steam-chest or steamcylinder, said check valves opening to the admission of the lubricant under the pressure of its actuating fluid from the cylinder B and closing automatically under the back pressure of the steam from the steam-chest or steam-cylinder. In the drawings in Fig. 2 We have indicated one form of check-valve, as H H, which may be hinged at h to one side of the pipes E E. It. will be evident, of course, that any preferred form of checkvalve may be nsedfor this purpose, and we do not regard our invention as in any way limited in this respect.

As one form ofmeans for securing the reservoir or cup A and its connected parts in suitable relation with the steam chest or steam-cylinder or other mechanism to be lubricated there is in Fig. 1 shown a screw-stem K, extended from the cylinder B, having a nut 79 for securing the device in position.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lubricating device, the combination of a lubricant-reservoir, a feeding-cylinder having communication therewith, a piston freely movable in said cylinder and having a lubricant-chamber, said cylinder being provided with ports, and passages connecting the opposite end portions of the cylinder and having an opening for the feed of the lubricant to the part to be lubricated, and means for conducting air or fluid pressure into the opposite ends of said cylinder.

2. In a lubricating device, the combination of a lubricant reservoir or cup, 2. feeding-cylinder disposed below said reservoir or cup and having communication therewith, a piston having a lubricantchamber and freely movable within said cylinder, said cylinder being provided with ports and passages connecting the different portions of said cylinder, an opening near one end of said cylinder, pipes leading from said opening to the parts to be lubricated, and means for conducting air or fluid pressure into the opposite ends of the cylinder.

3. In a lubricating device, the combination of a lubricant reservoir or cup, a feeding-cylinder disposed below said reservoir or cup and having communication therewith, a piston freely movable lengthwise in said cylinder and provided with alubricant-chamber IIO into which the lubricant may fall by gravity when the piston is at one end of its stroke, said cylinder being provided with ports and passages connecting the end portions of said cylinder, said cylinder being also provided with an opening near the end portion thereof opposite one of the said ports, and means for conducting air or fluid pressure into the opposite ends of said cylinder to move said piston to thereby carry the lubricating-chamber of the piston and its contained lubricant into register with the said opening in the cylinder and to uncover the ports and passages to permit the air or fluid pressure to act upon the lubricant in the lubricating-chamber and force it through said opening to the parts to be lubricated and then return the piston to the opposite end of the cylinder.

4. In a lubricating device, the combination of a lubricant reservoir or cup, a feeding-cylinder disposed below said reservoir or cup and having an opening in the wall thereof centrally disposed with relation to the length of said cylinder, a piston having heads of unequal lengths and an oil-chamber between the same, said piston being freely movable within said cylinder, said cylinder having ports and passages connecting the opposite end portions thereof, and also having an opening opposite one of said ports in communication with the parts to be lubricated, said opening being disposed near one end of the cylinder, and means for conducting air, or fluid pressure into the opposite ends of said cylinder to move the piston.

5. In a lubricating device, the combination of a lubricant reservoir or cup, a feeding-cylinder disposed below said reservoir or cup, a piston having heads of different lengths containing between them a lubricant-reservoir, said piston being freely movable in said cylinder, the wall of said cylinder being provided with an opening leading to the reservoir or cup which whenthe cylinder is at one end of its stroke is in communication with the lubricant-chamber, said cylinder being provided with ports and passages connecting the opposite end portions of the cylinder, said cylinder being also provided with an opening disposed near one end thereof in=communication with the parts to be lubricated, pipes for conducting air or fluid p1 ssnre at opposite ends of said cylinder to th reby move said piston to establish communica't.- i between said air or fluid pressure'in one on of the cylinder through the lubricant-chamber and opening leading to the parts to be Inbricated and return said piston to close said communication, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a reservoir or cup, a feeding-cylinder disposed below the same, a piston having a lubricating-chamber adapted to receive lubricant from the reservoir or cup under the action of gravity-when the piston is at one end of its stroke, means for conducting air or fluid pressure at the opposite ends of said piston, said cylinder having ports and passages and an opening leading to the parts to be lubricated, said ports and opening being closed by the piston when at one end of its stroke and opened into commu nication with the air or fluid pressure that moves the piston when the piston is at the opposite end of its stroke to thereby force the lubricant from the reservoir-chamber to the parts to be lubricated.

7. In a lubricating device, the combination of a reservoir or cup, a cylinder disposed below said reservoir or cup, a piston having a lubricant-chamber adapted to be in communication with said reservoir or cup when the piston is at one end of its stroke, said cylinder being provided with ports and passages connecting the opposite end portions of said cylinder, said cylinder having an opening in the wall thereof near one end, pipes leading to the parts to be lubricated and check-valves disposed within said pipes.

BENJAMIN F. CAMPBELL. JOSEPH BERG.

Witnesses:

B. E. Soo'rT, J. E. COATES. 

